KR Musical Products Megavibe

Very easy to get an AWESOME sound out of it

80's jap contemporary strat into fulltone clyde way, megavibe (large one early s/n in the 30's), fulltone ocd, London fuzz II, digitech reverb, delay pedal, boss tuner, into Peavey classic 30 with peavey ext cab, both with mojo tone speakers (vintage 30 voicing)

Not overly noisy, I try to get my London Fuzz set right at the point where it starts to get noisy,,hey, listen to Jimi at Woodstock, of course when you turn this stuff up you hear noise in between songs.

Some criticize these vibe clones saying "oh,,you can only do Jimi/Trower etc...." That's nonsense,,Yes, this nails Jimi and Robin, but I use it on cover songs like "miss you" from the Rolling Stones, Frampton could easily use it,,(though I think he uses a dejavibe?)

Works great with my OCD, and also with my London Fuzz II. Of course with a tube amp, silicone or geranium fuzz pedals, everything works best the louder you turn up. As you turn up your amp, the breakup from the amp gets more and more, and you can adjust your distortion/fuzz pedals accordingly.

The sound of this Megavibe is MAGIC!!!!

Well,,,I probably should get a lovepedal or mo faux vibe JUST IN CASE, or even a microvibe,,in a pinch,,those pedals would work OKAY,,,most audiences don't know crap about vibe pedals anyhows,,,BUT I know,,and you know,,,you know?

I HAD to buy this used on EBAY ($425.00 grrrrrrrr),,,cuz I am still on a waiting list for the smaller one that Kevin has had me waiting 8 months for so far. If and when that one becomes available,,and I can afford it ($285.00),,I will probably get it too.

But, I digress,,,no problems so far with this pedal.

Kevin is the worst communicator EVERRRRRRR!!!!!!

Is it good that he seems to make and test each and every one of these by himself, therefore the EXTREME EXCELLENT QUALITY?

Probably Yes,,,,,,should he amend his ETA for shipping these to 1 year or more upon placing an order,,,YESSSS!

Obviously saying 4-6 months is highly inaccurate. (I'm at 8 months so far,,which forced me to do what he does not like,,,buy one off of ebay for an inflated price)

The "soup nazi" Seinfeld episode best describes my feelings about Mr Randell's "LACK" of customer service.

I've never had that guy's soup, but Mr Randell's Pedal is INCREDIBLE.

But,,,have to give you a "1",,,would give you a negative 5 if I could.

If stolen or lost,,,it would depend if I had alot of extra money. Most likely, I'd buy a dejavibe first (older big white model with star next to Mike's signature) and save a bit longer, sell the deja and get the megavibe. I hope I never have too. Mine sounds too good.

If you can wait long enuf, it's an incredible pedal, if you can't wait, but you don't pay a few bills and buy one off of ebay,,it's an incredible pedal. If you want to increase your chances of sounding like Jimi at Woodstock, rainbow bridge, fillmore east, and/or trower,,this pedal is the absolute best.

I'm comparing this mostly to my best dejavibe I ever had, the older big white one, that Mike put a star next to his signature approving of it's extra quality. That did Trower extremely well, Megavibe easily matches and/or surpasses it. I had a sweetsound ultravibe,,not bad,,but noisy and not the vibe mega has, a mojovibe,,it was VERY GOOD, probably my next best for JIMI. A prescription vibe,,not bad. I have not tried the MJM, captain coconut.

So,,I think if you want JIMI 120%, Megavibe is the one,,otherwise it's like apples and oranges between the Megavibe and Mojovibe, followed by dejavibe (older model). If you don't care about Jimi or Trower, I don't see why you would spend the xtra cash for a Megavibe.

My overall rating would be a "15", if Kevin had a semblance of Customer service. If mine stopped working, I would be scared to send it to Kevin for repair,,when the heck would I get it back?

Finally my search for a vibe is over. the Mega is it!! I've tried all the ones people talk about. No need to name them. I have the small Mega. Very easy to operate.

I'm a home player. I usually use a Strat>Gypsy fuzz> Blues Jr.(modded).
It sounds like the original Uni-Vibe. The throb is perfect. Sounds great with fuzz, or OD pedals. Getting the throb right is the whole thing to me. The Mega does that.

I find it to be very well built. If a problem arose I'm sure Kevin would fix it.

I've had many email conversations with Kevin. I find him to be hard working, honest, and a good guy.

I'm a blueser. Plus a crazed pedal addict. Of course I play Hendrix too. If it was stolen, I would get right on the Mega list again.
You can't change the speed with your foot. There is a jack for an expression pedal though. Overall as I said, the search is over.

Very easy to use. The key to getting the Hendrix Univibe tone is intensity and speed set to 7. You think you walked out on the stage at Woodstock 1969 after eating too much bad brown acid.

This is definitely a one trick pony but what it does, IT NAILS. If you are after Band of Gypsies era Hendrix vibe tones your search is over. In that department it is far superior to the Fulltine Deja Vibe, The SweetSound Mojovibe, The FoxRox Aquavibe etc.

I've owned a few of them and usually they are pretty solid, I have had a couple of issues with them before though. But it is the nature of electronic devices, things can happen.

If I could give Kevin Randall a ZERO I would. I've dealt with him many times and I can honestly say I think the guy has serious mental issues. First off, his wait times are ridiculous but worse than that, I;m not even sure he has an actual waiting list or keeping up with those who are wanting his pedals. I've known several people whi have waited over a year for his pedals and some never get their pedals. Also, if you go to sell them on Ebay for more than he charges he will send you threatening emails. Basically, he doesn't want anyone selling his pedals for more than he charges, he wants to control even the used market for his pedals which is absolutelu ridiculous. The guy makes pretty good pedals but his business and customer service are a complete joke.

Great pedals, goofy builder.

This is for the large MegaVibe: I prefer the larger "speed" control knob for actuating via your foot. Kevin told me he would give me the information on how to get a large knob for the speed control - but as usual, I never heard back from him.
No manual is needed. You can adjust the intensity via a trim-pot inside the unit. The trim-pot adjusts the voltage to the photo-cell bulb. I set mine at about 80%.

When I first clicked-on my new purple shoebox, I was actually a little let down. I was comparing it to David Gilmour's vibe sounds of Pink Floyd albums past - which are some of my favorite. I have a Sweet Sound "Mojo Vibe" that NAILS David Gilmour's vibe tones! If you doubt my word - just play the opening snap-riff to "Pigs" (Three Different Ones) with your Mega, then try it with the Mojo... No contest! This is not to say that the Mojo is a superior vibe unit - it's just a different animal. Most players describe the Mega as "transparent". I have personally found that the MegaVibe cuts highs from my input signal; hence my inability to achieve the David Gilmour vibe effect. The Mojo Vibe gets that lower-mid raspy "Rod Stewart" type vocalization effect that is a MUST for me. That's the best way I can describe it. The Mega just won't do it... It's just too smooth sounding of an effect. The Mojo Vibe actually picks up where the original MXR "Script" Phase 90 leaves off. You can actually use the Mojo in place of your Phase 90. Don't try it with the MegaVibe - it just won't do it. What the Mega will give is a creamy rotating speaker effect that stands on its own celestial terrain. Yes, it does color your tone - but with a Piccaso like elegance. If your going for the more swampy Robin Trower rotating effect - the Mega is your bird. It is limited to that type of sound. If your looking for a more "vocal" rotating effect - go with the Mojo. I just can't say one is better than the other. Think of it this way: The MegaVibe = Roland Chorus. The Mojo Vibe = MXR Phase 90. That's the best analogy I can give - and I think it's accurate. My suggestion is to get both! I'll be getting my FoxRox Aqua Vibe in soon, so I hoping I can cop both of these sounds out of one unit? We'll see...

Although I wasn't looking to buy a tank - it's sure built like one. Great build quality!

Kevin is quirky about returning emails. If you're insulting in any way - he'll respond as though he had a laptop strapped to his forehead! If your making general inquiries, it may be some time before he responds - if at all. I had a guy in England who asked if I could send him a MegaVibe, as he said that Kevin would not ship to England. I told him that I would request 2 MV units, and send him one as long as there were no legal restrictions. I put in my order for the 2 x MV units, and never got a response? I emailed Kevin about it, and it sounded like everything was cool. It's been nearly 2 years, and no MV? I ran into a friend of mine who made a comment on the resale prices of the MV on ebay. I told him that I put in an order nearly 2 years prior (with repeated reminder emails), and never heard anything. Other people were getting their MV units within 6 months? My friend said that he had heard of the same thing happening to other people too. Considering the fact that I never even received a confirmation of my request (even after contacting Kevin), I could only assume the worst... When I told Kevin about my conversation with my friend - Kevin threw a fit!!! He certainly had plenty of time to rebuff my friends speculations - but no interest fulfilling my order request?
As far as customer support is concerned: there is none as far as I'm concerned. It's unfortunate that we lost Bob Sweet. He was totally committed to the customer, and was ALWAYS available to answer any inquiry. I didn't go through any of the "games" I went through with Kevin Randall. KR needs to learn to separate his personal emotions from doing business...

It's a great unit - but it certainly doesn't live up to all of the internet "hype". Not many pedals do. The MegaVibe is by no means the "end-all" vibe effect. I'm a huge fan of the Phase 90, and always desired a Phase 90 that would more accurately emulate the sound of a true Leslie rotating cabinet. The Sweet Sound Mojo Vibe does it in spades! If the MegaVibe were stolen, I don't think I would purchase another. If you like "chorusy" sounding vibe, then the Mega is what you should buy. It does this better than any vibe out there.
I've been playing for 30 years, and have extensive experience with vintage effects - so I'm not just "blowing smoke" here. If you had a choice between a chorus, or a Phase 90 - which would you keep? I would keep my Phase 90. No question about it!

Simple enough to use - but no large toe-knob? Oh well...
Chorus/Vibrato switch,Volume,Intensity,and Rate.

Not nearly as good as the famous Bob Sweet "Mojo Vibe" - but it still good. It tends to be a little "swampy" which keeps it from attenuating properly at higher volumes... Not good! The Sweet Sound "Mojo Vibe" comes through with astonishingly accurate Leslie simulation! Of course this is not a review of the "Mojo Vibe" - but I just can't help myself. A cool feature of the "Mojo Vibe" is that it operates at 9 VDC, and is internally converted to 18 VDC. You can use just about any expression pedal the the Bob Sweet "Mojo Vibe". The "Mega Vibe" requires rewiring to use most expression pedals. You also don't get the large Speed knob that you get with the "Mojo Vibe". The footprint of the "Mega Vibe" is also huge. :-(
Bob Sweet's "Mojo Vibe" wins this one hands-down!
Bottom line: The KR Mega Vibe nails the sound of a Uni-Vibe. The Bob Sweet "Mojo Vibe" nails the sound of a real rotating Leslie speaker.

Good build quality. Has PCB mounted foot-switch... Yuck!!! That's a BIG NO-NO in my book!

Horrible!!! I've emailed KR with inquiries in the past, and unless you want to discuss Randy Rhoads - good luck getting a hold of this guy. The wait-time on builds is completely unacceptable! I know a player who ordered a MV almost 2 years ago, and still has not received his order. He ended up purchasing one on ebay for nearly $500.00 USD! Smooth move KR...
Just makes me miss a guy like Bob Sweet so much more. Bob was a total professional, and would respond to every and an inquiry. RIP Bob Sweet...

The KR "Mega Vibe" is a top-contender as far as "Uni-Vibe" clones go... But if you want the truest representation of a rotating Leslie - get the Sweet Sound "Mojo Vibe".
The KR Mega Vibe is too big, operates at higher voltage, lacks the large Speed knob for "on the fly" foot adjustments, and requires rewiring to use most expression pedals.

i did this. i have a mega vibe--our other guitar player has an mjm 60's vibe & a lovepedal vibe. all easy to get "the" vibe sound--surprised how close the lovepedal was--it does not have photo cells. the kr & mjm are watery--the lovepedal is too close to call--a surprising pedal. the kr is $285.00 & the mjm is $275.00--the lovepedal was $150.00. the lovepedal has an internal control you can adjust to find your sound--easy to do. all are easy to adjust to get what you want tone wise. so we did the ear test to compare

all sound good. the kr & mjm are based on the real thing. i don't have one of those--but side by side both are awesome. the lovepedal is surprisingly good--good ring to it. we used lp's, strats, & a p90 musicman axis. very clear tones period. all the vibe you want. it's really in how we were hitting the strings at different volumes from the guitars--the amp stayed set at one level. i have a marshall 100 watt vintage modern--the other guy had a lonestar 100 watt boogie. no other effects were used--other than our teese wahs--i have a wizard--he has the wheels of fire. we just played rhythyms of our own cuts--took turns with lead sounds. back & forth was not tiring--did this for about an hour. really good vibes all around.

the kr & mjm are housed very good. the lovepedal is a much lighter metal casing--lighter than a fulltone ocd casing. the switches i think are of the same high quality ones all the boutique guys use--true bypass. just take care of your investments--don't bang them around. you do not need to hit the switch hard to engage. he has 2, i have the one, & am deciding on which one i may get. from what i know, all the makers involved--& they didn't know i was doing this--neither did we to begin with--answer emails & give you plenty of advice with your buy.

stated above. top builders usually are very good at backing their quality. they are usually small outfits & are serious players & tone nuts too.

there are several vibes out there now that go for the real sound. the 3 here are very good. the lovepedal is the smallest--the size of an ocd--the kr & mjm are boats. that is not an issue to us. i may be leaning towards the mjm--very nice. i feel i can't go wrong with any of these--but i feel i prefer the kr or mjm. price wise--you can't beat the lovepedal--it is extremely close to the kr & mjm. we could take chances buying these--you won't find them at guitar center. you should though. the 3 builders know their stuff--all have other effects besides the vibes. check out their web sites--mjm effects---kr musical products---lovepedal. plenty to see & hear. i have played for 28 years, our other player has played for 26--we're both 38. we don't plan on growing up any time soon. music is our hobby--a release--& playing & recording is alot of fun. make a few extra $$$ with our efforts. never know when a tune could catch an ear. keep playing on--all of you.

Q1 - How easy is it to get a good sound out of it?

Just turn it on. Mines the Megavibe Small. I`ve owned the 2 `big` vibes(sw and fu) and the Hendrix wah with the univibe on. They all have their niggling flaws.. oh the Digitech is one big flaw.
Didnt get a manual, dont need one.

I use a Maple Fender USA Strat through Fulltone Gold standards. My pedals I use with this is the KR Gypsy Fuzz, Analogman Maxon od-9, Analogman Sunface and I also have an expression pedal for the Mega.

Its not noisy at all, my od-9 is noisier. The different tones you can get out of this is amazing, if you turn the intensity down you can have a slow phazie sound through every chord but the notes shine through it all, or turn it about half way and you have the machine gun sound, like at the very start of the song, the first few bars you hear `chicka chocka chick bwow bwow` if ya get me, its that bwow bworp sound i love and this has it down to a t. Turn it full up and its a real THROB if you like that. If I run my od-9 through it my od-9 still sounds like my od-9... which is... my true guitar sound as it has the silver mod... with my gypsy fuzz its amazing.. you are Jimi Hendrix, or you certainly feel like it, I suppose that was designed to work well with the mega though as its a KR pedal. So as not to be biased I also have my sunface, which sounds just like my sunface still only beautifuly vibed. Which is just as well cos i could never be without that.

Built pretty solidly, think the should of primed the thing before they painted it though, seems to chip easier than my other pedals but I can live with that.

Emailed once but no reply, suppose they felt no need to as I`m in the uk and they dont ship here.

The best i`ve tried, wouldnt be without it. I`ve had a few of the other big clones but they`ve always been sold... this wont and if someone tried to steal it I`d kick em where it hurts cos this pedals never far from my feet... cant turn it off. It was hell trying to get it here(uk) but i did it. If your not in the u.s. and you get the opportunity.... grab it, it`ll be well worth it... you wont think about looking at anything else.

What a nice cool looking pedal.
The sound & tone are just amazing.
very quiet. not noisy.
Sturdy box & contructions.
Replace the Black chicken head knobs with cream ones
look way better now.

Great sound.Responsive,transparent,watery and very authentic.
Instant Hendrix's , Trower, etc.
You can place any where in the chain it's still sound great
just like the old Uni vibe.
I am very impressed.
Guitars: Fender american std strats.
Amps.Splawn,Marshalls & black face fenders.
Cables: Mogami & Monsters
Patch cables : George L's
Power: Voodoo & Gator.

I'm sure with KR quality it should be reliable.
Feel heavy duty.

Kevin~ what can I say? I bother the man way to much but he was very
nice to me. Good guy! Great guy!

10 plus.
I'm very glad I got it. Just love the thing to death.
This is what a real vibe should feel and sound like.
I know this is one of the very best out there.
Steve steven played it on his new CD memory crash.

This baby is a keeper..For sure. I would buy another one for sure.
Almost went MOJO but switch to Mega. Me Mega man now. Me like Mega
very,very much. If it had hair I ??????

Plug in and fiddle with the nobs. i didnt get a manual with it, but i probably wouldnt have read it any way.

i just got mine from the mail box about 4 hours ago. i plugged it into my 1971 fender twin with a boss ds-1 distortion and my 70's reish usa stratocaster. the first thing i noticed when i turned it on was the amaznig lack of noise. most univibe pedals are noisy bastards but this didnt even so much make a murmer. after a few seconds of nob fiddling i was in under-water-machinegun-electric ladyland-heaven, and i was loving it. i was shocked. almost cried. total disbelief at the tone thas was coming out of my beloved twin.
after about 2 hours of playing and nob fiddling, i went through all the classic tones you could ever want from a univibe pedal. Machine gun, Land of the new rising sun(hey baby), isabella, trower, and vibrato gems like pali gap, were flowing from my fingers like magic. with just 2 nobs on it, other than a volume nob, i was shocked at just how many variations i could dial in with just intensity and speed. but its not just the sound that makes this thing unmatched in the "vibe-wars", it is the way it responds to your attack and touch. very percusion-ey when needed but also sing and wails when you want it to. if any one reading this review has ever heard the jimi's version of 'HEY BABY (LAND OF THE NEW RISING SUN)" on the purple Eperience 4 disk box set that he played live in maui, will know what i mean buy percusion-ey. with a touch of distortion, you will nail this almighty tone no problem at all.

only had it for about 5 hours now....tba.

i am australian and kr products dont deliver to australia. it took me about a year to sus out how to get one of these things in the country, but it was worth the wait,. i never dealt with kevin randall or any one from kr musical products. infact, he wouldnt even answer my emails. i'd be pissed off with him if he didnt make suckh an awsome pedal. i think i might have the only one in australia.

i play originals in my band dirty buzzard. i'm gonna have to write some new song where i can use this pedal in. i am a complete hendrix freak, so i've always been on the hunt for a top univibe pedal and have had a few different ones, but this blows the living **** out of any other univibe clone i have ever played or owned. if you are lucky enuff to live in usa or canada, get yourself one immediatly. if you live else where and want one...good luck, you have a big mission in front of you.

Very easy to get a great sounds oout of this pedal , matter of fact you may spend alot of time checking out the different sounds you can get , awsum sounding vibe pedal

I think its the pedal of its type , I had a Rotorvibe , I had a fulltone Deja Vibe II which I feel is geared more to single coil guitars , but nonetheless I feel IMHO this pedal owns the other two.

I think as good is this pedal is without an expression pedal , (korg EXP II) it kills I mean destroys with the Expression pedal.
I mean if you want Hedrixy or Trowerish vibe , This is the pedal.

looks solid

Kevin Randall rules , He is great to deal with , he answers emails answers all question , the guy is aces , I mean I would buy a bridge from this dude , and to be honest I bought this pedal just from reading reviews and man Im glad I did .
And believe me im a picky prick Im almost 50 and got shitloads of efx most I dont use but when I tell you this dude builds a great pedal take it to the bank.

A 11 , not a ten if you buy this pedal , go for the extra dough and invest in the korg Exp II , it will enhance this fantastic by itself pedal to something sublime ,
If you email Kevin he will assist you with the wiring procedure.
Look if your buying this pedal your interested in great quality so take it to the next level , and I dont think you will ever buy another uni vibe effect again and when you hear this pedal you wont want to use that Line 6 MM4 too much longer.